Ice Cream
by the woman is a wolf
Summary: A little Riley/OC fluff. For briehope. I hope she  and everyone else     likes it    Please reviews!


**A/N: Hey guys!**

**So here I am with this little one-shot!**

**I made this especially for my good friend briehope, who has been there for me ever since we started talking. I really, really hope I got her character right…. O_o I've probably made her a bit too pessimistic but that was necessary X3**

**This cannot possibly tell her how grateful I am, but I wanted to write it as just a sign of my thanks :) Love you girl! Really hope you enjoy!**

**Please, please, **_**please **_**review… pwease? **

**P.S. I'm not using numbers ($2.00) because I'm lazy…. I just don't understand American currency X3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**National Treasure**_**. Or Brianna XP Or the world's supply of ice cream…**

Ice Cream

"That's $2.00," the woman said with a kindly smile, holding an ice cream in one hand and waiting patiently for her fee. Brianna smiled back.

"Sure," she said cheerily. She rummaged in her purse. "Err…" Soon enough there was a pile of coins on the counter adding up to…

"$1.86?" Brianna looked up at the woman in the ice cream van hopefully. The woman's smile had faded.

"It's $2.00," she repeated. Brianna opened her mouth to say something, but before she could a voice interrupted her. A familiar voice. A reedy voice. A voice she hadn't heard in quite a while.

"How much is it?" The owner of the voice asked. Brianna felt a smile slowly transform her face. "$2.00, right?" The woman nodded.

"No problem." An arm stretched out with a two dollar bill. The woman took it wordlessly and handed the ice cream to Brianna.

"Thanks," she said politely, while gathering up the coins on the counter and shoving them back in her purse. She turned away from the ice cream van and looked up at the owner of the voice.

"Thanks for that, Riley," she said with a smile. Riley grinned back at her.

"No problem," he said cheerily.

"So I owe you $2?" Brianna laughed as her silenced her with a look.

"So… long time no see," Riley said as the pair skirted around the small pond in the centre of the park. Brianna smiled, and looked into the glistening water. Light glinted off its surface, as it would from a diamond. She gave a hum.

"I know," she said. There was a pause as she munched on the remainder of the flake that had been stuck in the ice cream. Riley lowered himself onto the grass and idly picked at the daisies childishly.

"I hear you've been busy," she stated, sucking melted chocolate off her thumb.

"Yeah, you could say that…" Riley said with a boyish grin, the same grin she remembered oh so very well. She hid her smile behind her ice cream cone.

"A Ferrari, huh?" She asked, laughter in her voice. Riley smiled.

"Yup." The smile faded from his face. He cleared his throat and lowered his gaze to the rippling surface of the pond. "Sorry I didn't, you know… call you or anything." The smile went from Brianna's face too. She licked her ice cream which suddenly seemed tasteless and bland.

"It's… it's fine," she said. "I understand. I don't mind." She was a terrible liar. A terrible, _terrible_ liar, and she knew it. It had stung. After a while she sort of came to terms with it. What had she been expecting after all? It was just her… Brianna. Who could possibly – no. Stop… not going down this road again.

"Brie… don't lie to me," Riley looked at her steadily, blue eyes melding with brown. For a moment Brianna's breath caught in her throat. She could have sworn her heart missed a beat. She had forgotten so much about him… well, not about _him_ – for who could forget Riley Poole? – but about the emotions she felt when she was with him: love and hope and energy and joy all mixed together in one glorious, intoxicating concoction, that filled her to the brim and made her skin glow and her eyes shine.

"I should've called," Riley muttered.

"Everyone gets busy…" Brianna began, but became quiet as Riley silenced her with what she called 'The Look'. She gave a soft sigh.

"Look, can we change the subject?" She pleaded. "Please?" Riley thought for a moment, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He slowly smiled.

"Still watching _Doctor Who_?" He enquired. Brianna gave a snorting sound.

"Pfft, foshore," she said. "It's _me _you're talking to." Riley gave a chuckle.

"Shoulda known," he said with a cheeky grin.

"Yes," Brianna said, attempting at seeming serious. "Yes, you should have." She felt her lips twitch as she saw Riley grinning at her from the corner of her eyes. She gave a groan and broke out into a grin.

"How do you expect me to be serious when you're looking at me like that?" She asked him, laughing.

"Like what?" Riley asked innocently, arching his eyebrows. Brianna made a tutting sound and swatted his arm playfully. She shook her head and licked her ice cream. Riley sat smiling and looking out over the pond, perfectly at peace. Brianna stared at him, taking in his sky blue eyes and his almost feathery brown hair. She could have stayed like that for hours and hours… just staring at him, breathing in his essence, but abruptly he broke the silence.

"You haven't changed a bit." He looked up at her as he said this. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"Neither have you," she said. "Except you don't have the… the… the, er…" She chewed on her lip thoughtfully, trying to push through her mental block.

"You know, the beard-thing," she said eventually.

"Oh! The _beard-thing_!" Riley was obviously trying not to laugh. "You liked the beard-thing?"

"I didn't really feel anything towards the beard-thing." Riley laughed and Brianna gave a grin. She licked her ice cream and then began to munch on the cone.

"How's Ben?" She asked eventually, staring with concentration at what remained of her ice cream.

"Ben's good. He has a girlfriend now."

"Yeah, I heard. Abigail Chase, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"What's she like?" There was a pause.

"Very headstrong, very kind… sometimes a tiny bit uppity…" Brianna smirked.

"'Uppity'?" She said with a shake of her head. "Gotta love your vocabulary, Ri." He snorted indignantly in response. Brianna smiled. She felt the smile fade after a moment as she looked at the pond, deep in thought. She had to ask… no, no, it would be far too obvious… but not if she did it with a little finesse… Hmm… finesse….

"Er… finesse…" she mumbled aloud involuntarily.

"What?" Riley asked, obviously confused.

"Erm, nothing…" Brianna answered with a blush. "So have you got one?"

"One what?"

"A girlfriend."

"What? _Me_?" Riley's eyebrows arched.

"You're the only one here, Riley," Brianna said patiently. Riley shook his head.

"No. No, not yet." Vague disappointment sounded in his voice and another sound – a 'who would want me' sort of sound. Brianna pressed her lips together.

"I don't know why," she blurted before she could stop herself. She could have bit her tongue. _And why?_ Because she wasn't supposed to say that… that wasn't supposed to happen. Would he guess? _And why did it matter if he did? _Because it would be awkward. And he would say 'We can still be friends' but it would go downhill from there. That's how things worked. Always.

"Um… thanks…" Riley said, blinking in confusion. "So are you…"

"Nope. I'm as free as a bird." She tried to smile but the corners of her mouth seemed to be weighed down. They sat in a sort of awkward silence, the cogs in their minds twisting, until Riley cleared his throat.

"Well, from _my _point of view…" he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a very good thing." Brianna looked up sharply and stared at him uncomprehendingly. He remained looking out over the pond.

"What?" Brianna breathed, just barely audible.

"Well… it means there's a lot more of a chance of you being free when I…" Riley paused and took a deep trembling breath. Brianna felt her eyes flicker over his face as something unnamed but wonderful thrummed through her veins.

"…When I ask you if you'd go with me to the movies on Thursday." Riley's gaze floated upwards to the clouds and he bit into his bottom lip. Brianna stared at his wordlessly, mouth pursed and blinking furiously. Emotions and thoughts fought within her debating over if this was a good decision, whether she should, whether she shouldn't. Whether she should shout with joy or be as scared as a mouse before an owl. So much confliction… So much confusion, all passing behind her eyes in ribbons of electricity and colour. She must have been silent for longer than she thought because Riley spoke up again.

"I'm, er… asking you out here, Brianna," he said, turning pink. Suddenly, as she looked at his clear blue eyes and mussed hair Brianna knew the answer. It hit her like a tidal wave, sending all other thoughts crashing to the sand of the shore of her mind. She opened her lips slowly and the answer formed on her tongue, ripening like a fruit before it tumbled from her mouth. As soon as it passed she felt a bone-crushing relief and yet also found herself wondering if she had done the right thing. Something about the look in Riley's eyes told her she had.

**I was gonna be especially evil and not put in the last sentence… but…. I gave in ;D**

**Gah, it's so abrupt DX Forgive me, Brie?**

**Anywho, hope you enjoyed, Brie! And the rest of you peeps too :)**

**And though I don't own 'National Treasure' or the lovely briehope…:**

**Ice Cream © LiveLongLoveLife-xDataRulezx 2011**


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